Storm stepped out to the balcony of his room in his naked glorious self and inhaled the crisp cold air outside that announced the apex of the cold season. The snow was still plummeting day and night with layers building up around them making it hard to move from one place to the other. The one thing that the enchanted world had in common with the human realm was the crazy weather. Like the human realm, they had the four seasons, but they called them different names; the cold season, the season of sow, the hot season, and the season of reap. The approaching of a new season was called the turn of the season and it was accompanied by celebrations in the enchanted world because the gods were associated with this. Peak season was when it was halfway into the season and people celebrated peak season festivities for the cold season.

It was like Christmas in the Human Realm, but it was associated with the mated gods, Umma and Mero who were the god and the goddess of wealth and health and everyone prayed to them to give them good health for the remaining of the cold season while eagerly waiting for the upcoming turn of the season into the season of sow.

Storm had other beliefs as he lit his cigarette and inhaled the aromatic smoke deep into his lungs. He believed that if these gods were as just as people said they were then Zach would return to them unharmed. Storm wasn't much of a believer growing up in a home that didn't believe in the gods but rather they believed in their abilities to protect and serve and face all the consequences of their actions. Ever since Zach was mysteriously snatched from the Mage Fortress several weeks ago with not so much as a trail to follow, Storm really questioned what powers the gods truly had to fail to protect their subject.

It was an unfair world where some species had supreme powers over others and could basically perform miracles that might even shame the Heavens. If truly these gods listened, Storm felt that there would not be any suffering and sorrow in the world. He felt that no one would be second-guessing tomorrow knowing that they were watched over and protected.

Storm drew another lungful of the smoke and arched back before exhaling it towards the Heavens. If they were watching him and judging him, he wanted to give them a good reason to.

No one knew for sure what happened to the second in command. They all learned that Ruvin's Death Walker mate, Alli, had felt a familiar presence where Zach had disappeared, but she couldn't place it anywhere. She was still a newbie in the whole Death Walker thing, so she couldn't go back and try to find the energy trail and pattern like the way Indigo had told them she did at the cemetery in the Human Realm in order to find Torin.

Storm took yet another deep inhale of his cigarette watching it as the layers inside it glowed red and raced quickly towards the filter. Ashes dropped against the stone balustrade where a new bed of snow had formed. He let the smoke leave his lungs, giving him a calming effect almost so suddenly. But nothing could calm down the brewing storm inside of him. He was angry that everyone was rendered helpless, and even more annoyed that apparently, even the Lord Mage who asked Gregor to aid him in finding the second in command couldn't do anything about it because Gregor became reluctant when he was told what happened.

'There is no connection that you have with him right now. I can't aid you if his energy pattern is unknown to me, but I have hope that he will turn up when the timing is right.' Those were the words the Lord Mage told them his father used. Even with the Lord Mage's ability to connect with all the Mage could not tell him whether the second in command was alive or not.

Storm ran his fingers through his hair and growled softly, his eyes turning amber. Everyone was silently giving up on looking for Zach. He didn't want to give up because this was Zach they were talking about. The male was shallow at times and he had a temper that could rival the boiling storm currently above them but he was a good male. He was a friend and brother because only time knew how much they went through together and how many times they saved each others' asses on the battlefield. He had a solid mind and he worked more than anyone Storm knew. He always took the largest load of work and never once had he complained. He didn't choose to become Second in Command, the fucking title chose him! That just went to show just how loyal and honorable he was.

He kept them together and he hurt the most when Drake and Jax left the Realm of Spells. Now...he was gone, and no one was doing anything about it. Accepting that he was gone was another way of saying that he probably didn't matter as much as Storm believed he did and Storm didn't want to agree with that. Zach mattered because he was part of the whole puzzle. They were incomplete without him.

"Commander...." A purr came from his bed bringing him back to reality. "Come back to bed...."

Storm turned sideways to the female sprawled on his black and silver covers. He didn't even know her name, but she had the prettiest eyes; lustrous in the dim light. Storm wished he had such an expression. She had nothing else to worry about other than her duties at the fortress and pleasing him. She did her job, got paid at the end of the month, and even had holidays where she was allowed to go back home and spend them with her family. To Storm, those were luxuries. He couldn't even remember the last time he went home or even called.

The female didn't disappoint on the bed but then again...she didn't chase away the loneliness he felt either. This loneliness took residence in his soul the moment he transformed into an ultibreed. It felt as if he had lost a very important part of himself even though his beast's essence was now fully merged with his. He identified himself as a beast, but he felt that it wasn't quite the same. The urgency for him to connect to something else or someone was so dire that it left him feeling numb and doomed.

Like every other Leo in the world, he grew up among his kind in the Guldamo Delta of the central sector of the Realm of Spells, only joining the army after hitting puberty. It was a culture the feline had. They never abandoned their own and even the orphaned cubs were raised within the community. His father expected him to follow in his footsteps and keep the clan safe but Storm felt he was meant for a larger purpose. It wasn't only about the Leos but also about everyone in the enchanted world. To him, he felt by being under the Lord Mage, he stood a better chance of keeping his clan protected.

None of the Leos he knew and grew up with including his very respected cousins ever reached the ultibreed transformation--not even his father though he was considered as one of the fiercest Leos to walk to enchanted lands. Like the way he served the Lord Mage, his father served the clan leader of the Leos but where Storm was open-minded and accepting, Mayer was very much grounded in tradition. If Mayer ever thought to serve the Lord Mage like him, Storm didn't see it in his father's character. Though the Leos were a minority, they had loyalty. When it came to protecting the clan and serving the clan leader, they didn't hesitate to turn away even the Lord Mage.

Being the first ultibreed Leo in such a long time meant his responsibilities for his clan had just doubled. Though up to that moment they had not sent anyone to call him back to the delta, he knew it was just a matter of time until they did so. It was expected that his father called him back but Mayer gave Storm and Cyrus--Storm's older brother-- as much freedom and independence as he could. This meant that Storm had to make the decision to go back himself.

He heard the shuffling and whispering of sheets behind him as turned back to the white and bleak world in front of him. He welcomed the shot of coldness that streaked up his body as he leaned his arms on the balustrade and glared at the picturesque scenery before him. The snow twinkled on the ground. It was like silver stardust had fallen from the Heavens. It was mesmerizing to look at but it was also sad and cold because nothing came out to play. There were no sounds from the creatures, just the moans of the wind against the trees and the occasional crystal sound of icicles knocking against each other hanging loosely in the tree branches.

Warm arms went around his waist and a feverishly warm body snuggled itself against him from behind. Her skin chased away the cold on his. She came with a blanket that she draped over his broad shoulders.

"Heavens, you are freezing!" She gasped softly rubbing herself against him to try and warm him up.

There was only one part of him that was definitely warming up and it was rising up for the occasion. The rest of his body felt empty and desolate as the cold season.

Storm took the last puff of the cigarette and dropped it down into the snow. He turned around and pushed away a lock that had made its way to the corner of the female's mouth. Her eyes sparkled with eagerness to please and naivety that made Storm afford a little guilt because they both knew this was nothing more than just physical pleasure; something that they both would be seeking from other people the moment they got tired of each other.

Sharing a bed with a Royal Army commander was some perverse privilege that people created, and many sought out to taste, males and females alike. It was in their heads that being able to bed a royal army commander gave them a certain status among the others. Being selected and favored from all the others meant there was something special about them. Like every other female that came his way, they all craved power and status. They all wanted to be the ones that would tame him and make him want to settle down.... but to that moment, none of them succeeded in doing so.

Storm was not a liar. Many females passed his way, and many tasted his brutal power in bed but none were something to remember. They all faded away with time...just like the way that particular, sweet thing in front of him would. One attribute about the felines was that they were hotblooded and in need of sex like the way they needed food and water. It was just one of many ways of burning away extra energy that--if not taken care of--would send them into the forest to hunt and gorge on their prize.

"What's your name?" He asked her softly.

A smile appeared on her face showing off the one dimple on her left cheek. "Vysenta."

"That's a beautiful name....as beautiful as you are." He touched her chin. Though she was a helper, she still took care of herself. Her hair was gleaming in the dim light that poured from his quarters and her skin had a healthy glow. She didn't have any makeup, but her face was flawless.

Vysenta grinned up at him and Storm could see that she wanted to kiss him, but she knew better than to act that way with a commander. He was always the one who initiated anything, and they would follow. She was like a puppet to him and at times he hated that. He wished he had met one who would take it upon herself to make him her slave for the night.

Storm didn't waste any more time. His body was raging, and he was angry. He swooped down and kissed Vysenta hungrily, pouring all that brutality that the helpers always whispered about in the corridors. He swallowed her moans and her gasps and touched her skin to brand her so that when woke up the next morning she would remember everything when she looked down at herself.

Storm scooped her from the floor and led her back inside, ferociously feeding on her mouth as his blood thickened with fire in his veins. He laid her back on the bed breaking neither the kiss nor the body contact. She responded with a fervor that left him trembling with pleasure. She wasn't shy because he knew he wasn't the only one who she slept with. She had enough practice to know what she needed to do to drive him delirious with desire.

She was a tiny yet flexible little thing, good for tossing around. Her cries and whimpers took him to the cliff edge of his sanity. Her small hands sought out all the special places only she knew about as Storm slipped abruptly into her earning a surprised cry from her. Her body quivered by the sensation and Storm felt everything that her body went through.

Her searing heat engulfed him and for a moment he forgot about the myriad thoughts that had plagued his mind just a few minutes ago. That was what he needed on such a cold and dreary night.

"Oh yes! Yes, yes, ohhh!" She cried out as her fingernails bit into his back, fuelling up the inferno that was flaring deep within him. He quickened his assault on her, giving it to her like it was the last time he was ever going to embed himself inside a female. The hard pounding echoed inside the chambers with the bed moving and knocking against the wall at the sheer power of it. With every raw thrust he gave her, she received it without complaining. Her cries fuelled every thrust and her body arched back receiving pleasure only possible in dreams. She, too, thrived for that kind of thrill, urging him on with her fingers squeezing his butt cheeks tightly. Storm pumped harder and faster until his entire body felt as if it were going to go up in flames! He could feel himself approaching the end with heat coiling in his groin like a serpent ready to strike, working its way down to his legs and all the way to his toes.

He felt his muscles stretch and his backbone arch back.

Shit, he was losing control again.

Vysenta muffled a cry as Storm's body expanded around her. Canines stretched from his mouth and claws slipped from his fingers. A deep guttural groan escaped his lips, but he did not stop until he felt Vysenta's channel viciously clasp him prompting his own climax. He threw his head back and roared as he came inside of her.

His gruff breathing echoed in the room as his door suddenly flew open.

"Do it any harder and you are going to collapse the entire fortress." Feror, the centaur commander, smirked crossing his arms while he leaned on the door frame.

Storm, in his full ultibreed form, flipped Feror. "Fuck you." He growled. He was still jerking with the after-shocks of his climax but he didn't care. He had also walked in on Feror several times.

Vysenta moved underneath him and Storm quickly grabbed her hip to keep her still. "You are going to rip yourself open if you force me out."

"You locked with this one too? Dude, how does that even happen?" Feror shook his head in incredulity.

"It's a feline thing." Storm said as he tried to calm himself enough to transform to his humanoid form thus unlocking himself from Vysenta's channel. The female bit into her lip as her core clenched against his erection over and over again. That happened because his feline erection had hooked itself in the place most sensitive and was teasing it, making sure she was in constant arousal for him until they were both thoroughly sate. "What the fuck do you want, Feror?"

"The Lord Mage has asked for us in his office." Feror sobered up.

Finally, Storm made the transformation and unhooked himself from Vysenta. She slumped and breathed in hard before she draped herself in one of the sheets and scurried to the adjoining bathroom.

Feror's statement caught Storm's attention as he got off the bed and stretched his aching muscles. "Is it about Zach? Did they find him?"

Feror shook his head. "No....but whatever it is, it could probably give us answers to his whereabouts."

"Give me ten." Storm went to his bathroom where Vysenta was standing under a shower, cleaning herself up while Feror left.

He joined her, and she turned to him touching his slick and twitching abdomen muscles. "I have only heard the others talk about the way you hook yourself inside them when you transform during sex. They told me about how sensational it was."

"Was it?" Storm asked her, and a grin broke on her face before she nodded.

"I have never experienced anything like that before. You locked yourself on the most sensitive part and if it weren't for commander Feror, I think I would have climaxed again."

One side of Storm's lips quirked up. "I am glad you enjoyed it. You can stay in my quarters for the night. I am heading out for a moment, but I will be back later." He had nothing to hide.

Vysenta nodded. "Thank you."

Storm cleaned up before making his way to Tyran's office.

All the commanders were present including the Realm of Fire's Second in Command, Drake, who couldn't stop looking for a reason to return to the Realm of Spells, and the new Realm of Water King, Jax, still needed a lot of help from the realm to rebuild his own. It was a habit that they all had to meet in Lord Mage's office like that and discuss their current situations. Storm knew the Lord Mage couldn't chase them away because they were still family and if it were something to do with Zach then they would have wanted to know.

"Is there new news about Zach?" Storm asked as he settled beside Drake as he ruffled the water from his hair and made the dragon frown at him. Drake pushed Storm away annoyingly.

The room went cold and quiet which was a very loud no to Storm.

"Something has happened in Ullanis." The Lord Mage announced instead, and everyone groaned softly. No one wanted any other information other than Zach's. "A Historian that served my father and raised me as his own son was found dead in his office yesterday morning."

Well, that wasn't news if he served Gregor. Storm thought vehemently. If the male was as old as some mountains in the human realm, he was old enough to die.

"He was murdered for something he promised to protect for my father and my guess is that it was stolen. I never knew what it was, and Gregor never once told me what it could be or when I would need it but he mentioned that it was very important to the Enchanted World especially when the Dark Energy threatened it again." Tyran explained.

Well, how about that. Storm thought quietly. Just when they thought the enchanted world couldn't get any more violent—now they were robbing old people and killing them off.

"My guess is that the time has come for the enchanted world to use whatever it was that was hidden by Xandov but someone beat us to it," Tyran explained.

"And here I thought Ullanis had the best of the best when it came to self-defense." Drake sighed softly. "I mean if a rogue, rebel, or sorcerer thought to bring trouble to that city then they must have had either the highest level of courage or stupidity on this side of the enchanted world! You just don't fuck with scholars; that's basic knowledge."

Everyone grunted in agreement. Scholars were like gods in the Realm of Spells and that city was like a second Heaven. They ascended status from being scholars to Historians and Elders. They harnessed great knowledge from both the enchanted world and the human realm about everything, depending on which branch of knowledge the scholar wanted to base on. History, technology, natural sciences, social sciences, combat and defense, spells, and enchantments were a few of the branches that a scholar could choose to concentrate on. It was compulsory for the royal Mage to spend some time in the university to help them with their abilities and understanding of their duties, the law, and their resources. The Lord Mage had spent his entire youth studying there when his father was king. Someone as old as Xandov must have known secrets that could tear that world apart.... yet he was easily killed for whatever it was that he was protecting.

"I believe it was an inside job." Byron pushed himself off the wall and sauntered forward pensively. His silver hair caught the light sifting from the lamp beside Lord Mage's desk. His blue eyes landed on the silan carpet as he pensively rubbed his chin. "And I believe he let himself die to protect whatever it was that needed protecting meaning it hasn't been stolen yet."

"For a male as ancient and experienced as him, he would not have gone down easily if he were fighting for the thing, he spent almost half of his life protecting. This was way too easy." Storm added to the logic. "Which means the killer is still at large looking for it."

"And that is the reason why I need someone out there, to find this killer and to find out what my father hid all those years ago at the Ullanis University of History and Sciences," Tyran said and once more the room went eerily quiet.

"For fuck's sake do I need to call out names?" He growled, his anger rippling in the air like a whip.

Feror shrugged and grinned. "It's your funeral, my King. I mean you are always getting the logistics wrong anyway, so it doesn't really matter. You sent Drake home and he went for good mating with the first mortal lock to manifest itself as a being and now they are planning to start a family of little reptile rascals—I just hope they look like their mom, no offense. Then you did the same for the fish boy over there and not only did he turn out to be the long-lost royal son, but he got himself a siren for a mate—a siren for crying out. Any day now and she will slaughter us in our sleep. You could be sending us to the Northern Sector only to find out we were meant to be there instead of here or return with something way worse."

Jax and Drake were not amused by Feror's jokes.

"Like a ghoul or the mythical serpent species," Jax asked sitting forward with his eerie eyes sparkling with venom at Feror.

Everyone laughed at the horrid thought. The Lord Mage smirked, and Storm wished he had continued smirking without opening his mouth...

"Storm and Byron, prepare to go to the Northern Sector in two days. You will use Drake's old team with extra enforcers because of the fact that they were able to harm a Historian. The team is monitoring activities across the Scholars' city as we speak. The University already has information about your arrival. I know the fucker will not leave until he or she has what Xandov was hiding. They could be targeting those who worked closely with the professor too so make sure everyone is protected."

"Fuck." Storm cursed out, annoyed that it was just a few weeks ago he arrived in Agore from the Central Sector where he was positioned. It was not that he didn't enjoy his time there but like anyone else who loved the fast-paced life of the capital, being taken away to a smaller town was a little hard to adjust to. "Just when Agore was growing back on me."

Drake chuckled softly beside him. "It's as if wherever the Lord Mage sends us, we return a pair or don't return at all. Good luck out there, Storm. You just might come back with your significant other."

"Burn in hell, Drake." Storm muttered bitterly.

"I'm a dragon, dick head. I was forged from the fires of Hades themselves." Drake shot back.

It was not like Storm never gave thought to the possibility of finding a mate. Everyone did. Others hated the thought of it while others couldn't wait to have one. For him, he wasn't sure yet. He just hoped that whoever came his way would be able to put up with his voracious sexual appetite. A slow smile appeared on his face just thinking about her first experience when he hooked himself inside her channel, tickling her g-spot until she went crazy with pleasure.

"I think he likes the idea of a mate." Jax turned to him. "They can be the end of you."

"They sulk, they pout, they demand—they are like babies." Drake cringed pensively.

"And when you think you have reached a common ground, they will do something that will leave you in the constant state of panic and delight as if you are a drug addict." Ruvin chuckled placing his heavily buckled boots on the wooden coffee table in front of him.

They all muttered in agreement.

"They will turn your world upside down, but it is where you would constantly crave to be." He added.

"That is something the rest of us will never understand." Feror laughed disheveling his thick mane even more with his fingers. "I have no fucking clue why someone would want to stay with one female for the rest of their lives. You complain about them and we see how they drive you up the walls all the time, yet you remain there like old faithful dogs on a leash. I am not one to have the patience and it's the reason why the Heavens have not cursed me with a mate as of yet."

The Lord Mage's mouth quirked on one side as he eyed Feror maliciously. "Well then, I can't wait to see how you turn out once you are mated."

Feror smirked then rolled his hips as if grinding himself into a hot channel. "I will just give it to her day and night making sure she doesn't have the strength to argue with me."

Storm and Ruvin threw their heads back and had a good laugh while Jax and Drake slammed their hands together in a high-five and roared in laughter. Byron merely smirked as he settled back on the couch.

Moments like those, where the warriors enjoyed themselves, were rare so they took every opportunity to try and make them forget what was happening around them even if it were for but a second.

"You two have to be careful out there." The atmosphere became solemn once more as the Lord Mage spoke. "Whoever this is, if he or she is strong enough to kill an ancient, they will not hesitate to end your lives too."

After the meeting, the commanders joined the other Royal Army warriors in the dining room located in their warriors' wing where they were all clustered in groups around the tables as the helpers went around pouring alcohol in their glasses and placing trays of mouthwatering food in the middle of the tables. There was slow music that babbled from the speakers fixed in the corners of the large dining room and the warriors muttered softly among themselves as the commanders entered because of what happened to Zach. Most of them were convinced that he was abducted by the sorcerers who sought revenge for their dead leader, Rowan. Others believed that the second in command had finally succumbed to the darkness after losing his mate and was now out there in the world, a dangerous rogue that needed to be hunted and put down.

"Are you going to hunt down the second in command? Is that the reason why the Lord Mage had called you?" One of the warriors asked timidly from the table that was close to the commanders.

Storm felt like he wanted to roll his eyes. That was getting ridiculous. He had heard just about every ludicrous story there was about Zach from the same warriors that looked up to him as a second god. How did they lose their trust in him so easily? "The second in command has not gone rogue." He growled at the warrior and his eyes flashed to show him that his patience wore thin.

"Then, where is he?" Another warrior persisted not heeding the warning his friend got.

No one had the answer to that, but Storm didn't want the warriors to lose more hope and faith in their second in command, so he lied. "He has been having a hard time accepting the loss of his mate, so the Lord Mage has allowed him to take some time to recover from it. He is back in his hometown to try and cope with it. That is all you need to know."

"You have very little faith in the male who saved your ass more times than I could recall, Tank. Whatever happened to the brothers till the death oath you took when you became a Royal Army warrior thanks to his recommendation?" Drake eyed the male sitting before him, and Storm was glad the warrior had the balls to feel ashamed.

"That's not it. I mean we all looked up to you, Commander Drake, but at the end of the day, you left the army for the Realm of Fire. And now, our second in command is gone and we are a little fazed by this." Tank explained.

Storm could understand where they were coming from. They were losing good males and predators on the battlefield. Without Zach, the royal army couldn't stand alone—unless the Lord Mage appointed a new second in command to lead until the whereabouts of Zach were known.

"Though I might have shifted Realms, it does not mean I am not part of this family," Drake assured the male.

"The Lord Mage would not let you stay without a second in command." Byron watched as one of the helpers placed food on their table and he grabbed a generous serving of potatoes in a cream sauce, veggies, and grilled lamb chops. "I am sure he already has someone in mind to temporarily take Zach's position until the day he is fit to return and resume his duty."

Tank nodded apologetically and went back to his dinner as the commanders served their plates with food and began eating while bottles of wine and beer were placed around them.

"I need to return to the Lore Highlands. Tegan called for me." Feror muttered softly as he served his plate and immediately bit into his chicken before washing it down with a glass of wine. "I wonder what that old male wants from me."

Storm smirked at Feror. There was always a bitter-sweet relationship between Feror and the leader of the Centaur Brotherhood in the Lore Highlands in the Northern Sector, Tegan. They lived like blood brothers but had a nasty fallout when Feror fell in love and slept with Tegan's sister.

They had not talked in such a long time until they both found themselves in Tacinia together with a foal going through his first transformation and finally settled their differences during the days that they helped the foal transform. Feror was still a little sore about the whole thing because he still loved Leanor very much even though now she was with her true mate, Bane.

"He has grown fond of you once more." Storm teased while slicing his lamb into smaller pieces and chugging them down his throat like peanuts.

"He was always fond of Feror," Jax assured them as he took a swig of his beer. "It's just that Feror was an asshole for going behind Tegan's back," Feror smirked at the Mer-King.

Drake cringed. "Yeah, after the showdown you two had in Tacinia, I thought we needed to call enforcers to keep the peace. If it weren't for Herman's untimely transformation, you two would still be butting heads like mules right now."

Feror shrugged his shoulders. "I think he wants me to return to the brotherhood."

"But you have other obligations here." Ruvin reminded him.

Feror was in a similar situation as Storm because he, too, was going to be expected to return home and serve the Leo Brotherhood. He could understand the centaur's dilemma because both places were important to him.

"Yeah, I know...." His brow came down in a pained frown as he flexed the arm that had a nasty scar, he received from the Thyest Bow some time back. The scar rippled with blue-black energy. It was as if the flesh and bone around the scar were turned into the thyest crystal.

"Is the pain starting again?" Storm sat forward catching the others' attention as well. They all turned to Feror who had his teeth set as he massaged the arm.

Ever since he survived the Thyest Bow attack, crazy shit had been happening with him. He pushed out poison and bullets like a boss. His strength grew, and his endurance extended.... but he was in constant pain afterward.

At times the pain crippled him, made him useless for a few days and it was the thing that worried most people. Feror saw the best healers and even added High priests and priestesses in the mix but no one had a clear answer as to what was happening to him because such a thing had never been documented anywhere meaning it never happened.

"I'll be alright." He suddenly pushed his plate away and got up but stumbled a bit and growled in pain, clutching the arm to his side. "I need...to rest."

"I'll help you."Ruvin got up and acted as Feror's anchor before taking the male out of the dining room. The other warriors murmured to themselves because they had also seen Feror in pain and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Something was seriously wrong with Feror. There was always a foreboding feeling whenever he was around. It was the type of feeling that made Storm's skin creep with goosebumps.

Storm watched the two of them leave and he finished off his dinner with idle jesting from Byron, Jax, and Drake.

"How is the rebuilding of the Glass Fortress going?" He asked Jax.

Jax grunted in annoyance. "We have been fighting with pushers who have been looting from the destroyed royal properties."

"That was bound to happen. Pushers can't help themselves when it comes to making money out of other people's misery." Drake growled.

Storm grunted in agreement as he continued eating quietly before eventually succumbing to the coaxing tiredness after his dinner that had him going to his chambers to sleep while the others moved to the entertainment room for some games, TV, and more alcohol. Though the royal commanders slept in a different part of the fortress, they always mingled with the other warriors on certain occasions.

Vysenta was fast asleep by the time he arrived in his room. He didn't want to wake her up so he joined her in his bed and when she snuggled up against him, he didn't move away. He wanted to hold on to her warmth just a little longer before he had to leave Agore.